Pinhead is Back in Hellraiser: Judgment Trailer

Iconic horror villain Pinhead is back in the official trailer for Hellraiser: Judgment, the latest entry in the long-running franchise. When Clive Barker first brought Pinhead to the screen with 1987’s original Hellraiser – after first creating the character in his novella The Hellbound Heart – it’s doubtful that he ever envisioned what a household name the leather-clad villain would become. Hellraiser has gone on to spawn eight sequels, with no permanent end in sight for the franchise.

Of course, just because Pinhead is famous, doesn’t mean he’s always been treated with respect. Ever since 1996’s widely disliked Hellraiser: Bloodline failed to make a splash in theaters, the franchise has been relegated to the land of direct to video, and ever-decreasing budgets. Still, just because something skips theaters doesn’t mean it has to be bad, and that’s more true in the current streaming VOD era than ever before when it comes to horror films.

The trailer for Hellraiser: Judgment – the ninth sequel in the series – finally arrived today, courtesy of distributor Lionsgate, and Bloody Disgusting. While the film is still clearly another low budget affair, the special effects look to be well done, and new Pinhead actor Paul T. Taylor seems to be doing his best to live up to Doug Bradley’s legendary portrayal of the character. Whether or not he’ll succeed is anyone’s guess at this point, but at least Taylor will likely be better than the horrible version of Pinhead featured in 2011’s Hellraiser: Revelations.

Written and directed by Gary J. Tunnicliffe – a longtime effects maker for the series, and avowed Hellraiser fan – Hellraiser: Judgment concerns a trio of detectives on the hunt for a brutal serial killer. Unfortunately for them, their search leads them to the Cenobites, and the nightmarish realm they call home. Can these lawmen escape from hell? Realistically, probably not, but there at least looks to be some strikingly grotesque imagery taking place during their stay in the pit.

While in hell, fans will get to meet some new Cenobites, several of which are featured in the trailer. They go by the names The Auditor, The Assessor, and The Jury. Considering the Judgment subtitle, that naming scheme certainly makes sense. It’s unlikely that any Hellraiser fan expects Judgment to reach the heights of the first few theatrical entries, but hopefully, Tunnicliffe at least delivers a sequel that won’t want make them want to tear their own souls apart in frustration.